Lilia met Clifford's gaze with a confused face. She even turned over her shoulder to check if the man was staring at something behind her. But there was nothing there but ruins. Then why was Clifford staring at her?
Seeing Lilia's confusion, Clifford immediately came to his senses and averted his gaze. He cleared his throat, then pointed to one of the flats nearby that was guarded by his subordinates.
"Miss Sasha is in the deepest part of the house." Clifford explained.
The head of the security team stepped aside, letting the two of them pass. Jean just nodded before taking Lilia's hand. The man led his wife to the house. The four bodyguards manning the apartment nodded as the two drew near.
But Lilia didn't return their greeting. Her mind was filled with Clifford's weird attitude just now. Why did that man look at her with a strange gaze earlier? Did this case have something to do with Lilia? But she didn't kidnap Sasha!
Just as Lilia and Jean were circling the rotten wooden fence in front of the house, they came face to face with someone. The figure was dressed all in black, from her shoes to her clothes. Her short black hair swayed gently in the wind.
Lilia immediately recognized the woman. Lilia was stunned for a few seconds, then she immediately let go of Jean's hand and rushed towards the woman.
"Sister Mel!" Lilia hugged her sister tightly, "Why are you here?" She asked warmly.
However, Mellisa did not return her hug. The woman stood still with a stiff body, as if Lilia's reaction took her by surprise.
Lilia felt something was wrong and let go of her hug. She stepped back while watching Mellisa closely. A pair of black eyes that were identical to her own looked back at Lilia. Then she finally realized what had happened.
"Sister Mel…" Lilia stared at the woman with a mixture of surprise and disbelief, "Why are you doing this? Why did you kidnap Sasha?"
Mellisa was silent for a few moments before she finally laughed, "I…" The woman had just opened her mouth when a sharp, shrill police siren interrupted her.
The two women automatically turned to the source of the sound. On the other hand, Jean immediately exchanged glances with Clifford. The head of the security team nodded before leading his subordinates away from there.
The sirens of the police car drew closer as time went on. Lilia started to panic. If they stayed here, it's only a matter of time until the police found and arrested them!
Without realizing it, Lilia grabbed Mellisa's hand before pulling her away without thinking. She didn't know where they could go, but she didn't want Mellisa to be taken to the police station again! Lilia had only taken two steps when she stopped and looked around. Where could she find the best hideout for Mellisa?
Seeing Lilia's innocent reaction made Mellisa smile. She chuckled before saying calmly, "Follow me!"
Seeing Lilia trying to protect her warmed that woman's heart. Mellisa couldn't remember the last time someone protected her like this. Since she was separated from her family five years ago, Mellisa had to fight alone to survive. She could neither rely on nor trust anyone else. But it was different with Lilia. Mellisa felt that she could trust even her life to her sister.
The sound of police car sirens grew louder when Mellisa pulled Lilia into the rubble of the building. The living room of the house was half collapsed, leaving only a pile of rocks and dust everywhere.
Mellisa pointed to the floor of the room while explaining, "There is a hidden cellar here." Then her gaze shifted to Jean, "Do you mind?"
The woman deliberately directed her question to Jean. The fourth son of the Widjaya Family wore expensive and quality clothing. How would Jean want to sneak into a dusty and dirty place like a basement?
But the person who answered Mellisa's question was her own sister. Lilia reached out and grabbed her husband's hand, "Yes, we can also talk about this situation down there." She answered firmly.
In the end, they couldn't let the police see Mellisa's figure here. Jean could only nod and follow his wife down the stairs into the basement.
The conditions in the room were much more chaotic than Lilia had imagined. The basement was only ten square meters wide. Even worse, the large number of scattered old furniture narrowed the space for them to move. The basement did not have a proper ventilation system or adequate lighting. No wonder the air there felt dusty and smelled awful.
Without enough room to move, the three men stood close together in one corner of the room. The stench in the air became even more intense after Jean closed the cellar's door.
As Lilia started to breath through her mouth, Jean suddenly wrapped his arm around the woman's waist. He pulled Lilia into his arms and pressed her head against his chest. Jean's actions helped Lilia to breathe easier.
Lilia rubbed her cheek against the man's chest like a cat spoiling her master. Her arms tightly hugged Jean back. Their current position made the foul smelling dungeon not as bad as before. Lilia was so focused on Jean that she forgot her sister's whereabouts.
Mellisa looked at the two love birds in disbelief. How could Lilia flaunt their closeness in front of her like this! Especially in this humid and sad room! Was her sister trying to torment her secretly?!
But at the same time, a male figure appeared in Mellisa's mind. That man was the cop she met back in the day, Leonard! Not only that, the memory of what happened between them that night at the hotel came back to her mind.
Mellisa's cheeks suddenly turned red as an apple. She felt a little grateful that Lilia wouldn't be able to see her face with the dim lighting. Mellisa took a deep breath, intending to expel the embarrassing memory. But she forgot where she was right now.
"Cough ... cough ...!" Mellisa was choking on the stench that hung in the air.
Lilia immediately turned towards Mellisa and put her index finger on her lips, "Shh! Sis, they will find us if your voice is too loud!" Lilia protested.
"S-Sorry..." Mellisa could only lower her head.
About twenty minutes later, they heard the sound of police car sirens again. But this time, its voice grew smaller until the room was engulfed in silence.
Lilia's body relaxed after she was sure that the cop was gone. It looked like the police had taken Sasha away. Lilia regretted a little that she didn't get to see that woman's appearance when she was kidnapped. But at least, the filming process would no longer be interrupted.
The three of them waited a little longer before finally exiting the basement. Their whole bodies were dirty with dust and they also smelled bad. Even Jean's blonde hair was almost completely covered in dust. Only Lilia, who was protected by Jean while they were down there, looked relatively clean.
Lilia turned to thank Jean, then her gaze fell on the man's hair, "Jean, get down a little." She ordered.
The man obeyed Lilia's words without asking any further. Lilia tiptoed and started to gently clean the dust from Jean's hair. The man looked like a big dog being petted by his master.
Meanwhile, Mellisa sighed and wiped her forehead with her sleeve. She couldn't bear to see this married couple show off their closeness at every turn!
New novel 𝓬hapters are published on (f)reeweb(n)ovel.com